The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-07-23
THE PRESIDENTS CLINTON SPEECH.
Interesting Sketch of his Early School
Life-Some of his Diff1culties-A Plain
Talk to Old Friends.


The speech of President Cleveland at the GEN.
tennial celebration of Clinton, New York, which
took place on the 18th instant was well received
by the immense audience assembled on that oc-
casion. He said
az am by no means certain Of my standing here
among those who celebrate the centennial of Clin-
toms existence a village. My recollections of
the place reach backward about thirty-six years,
and my residence here covered very brief period.
But these recolections are fresh and distinct to-
day, and pleasant, too, though not entirely free
from somber coloring. 1t was there in the school
at the foot of College Hill that 1 began my prep
araton for college life, and enjoyed the anticipa
ton of collegiate aducation. We had two teach
ers in our school. One became afterwards judge
in Chicago, and the other passed through the legal
profession to the ministry, and within the last two
years was living further West. l read little
Latin with two other boys in the class. I think
foundered through four books of the Aneid.-
The other boys had nice, large modern editions of
Virgil, with big print and plenty of notes to help
one over hard places. Mine was q little old
fashioned copy which my father used before me,
with no notes, and which was only translated by
hard knocks. 1 believe have forgiven those
other boys for their persistent refusal to allow
the of their notes in their books. At any rate,
they do not seem to have been overtaken by any
dire retribution, as one of them is now rich and
prosperous lawyer in Buffalo, and the other is
professor in your college, and orator of to. days
celebration. Struggles with ten lines of Virgil,
which, at first, made up my daily task, are anus
ing as remembered now, but with them 1 am also
forced to remember that instead of being the be-
ginning of higher education, for which honestly
longed, they occurred near the end of my school
advantages. This suggests disappointment, which
no lapse of time can alleviate, and a deprivation
L have sadly felt with every passing year. re-
member Benoni Butler and his store. don't
know whether he was an habitual poet or not, but
heard him recite one poem of his own manufac-
t"rn which amhodied an account of a travel to and
from Clinton in the early days. can recall but
swo lines of the poem, as follows
"'Paris Hill next came in sight,
And there we tarried over night.
81 remember the next door neighbors, Drs Bis
sell and Scollard-and good, kind neighbors they
were, too-not your cross, grabbed kind, who
could not bear to see a boy about. 1t always
seemed to me that they drove very fine horses
and for that reason 1 thought they must be ex-
tremely rich. I don't know that should indulge
in further recollectons that must seem very little
like centennial history, but want to establish
as we'll as can my right to be here. / might
have spoken of the college faculty who cast such
q pleasing though sober shade of dignity over the
place. and who, with other educated and substan-
tial citizens, made up the best of social life. l
was boy then, but, Notwithstanding, believe l
absorbed lasting appreciation of the intelligence,
of the refinement which made this a delightful
home. l know that you will bear with me, my
friends, if yield to the impulse which the men
ton of home creates, and speak of my own home
here, and how, through the memories which cus-
ter about it, [ may claim tender relationship to
your village; how it was that our entire family
circle, parents and children, lived day after day
in loving and afectionate converse, and here, for
the last time, we met around the family altar and
thanked God that our household was unbroken by
death or separation. We never met together in
any other home after leaving this, and death fol-
lowed closely our departure. And thus it is that
as, with advancing years I survey the havoc death
has made, the thoughts of my early home become
more sacred, the remembrance of this pleasant
spot, so related, is revived and chastened. / can
only add my thanks for the privilege of being
with you to-day, and wish for the village of Clin-
ton in the future a continuation and increase of
the blessings of the past"
Commenting on this speech the Philadelphia
North american, a Republican newspaper, says:
"The speech was nothing but little bit of au-
photography, but its entirely unaffected simplicity
of spirit and the homely realism of its details i'm
part to it that impressiveness which belongs to
the touch of human nature of which the poet writes
and gives one pleasant idea of a man who under
all the circumstances could speak of his boyhood
with feeling obviously sincere and free
from anything in the nature of dramatic posturing
Mr.. Cleveland has his faults, but after all, there
is something very taking in his frank, hearty gen.
uiness, and in his entire freedom from anything
like affectation. People are beginning to feel
more and more that here is man who, though
elevated to the Presidency by most extraordinary
run of good fortune, yet puts on no airs, and has
absolutely no nonsense about him. He is not
brilliant, but after all, brilliancy is not what PEG
pie like best or what wears the longest. There is
good deal of unsophistcated human nature
about Mr.. Cleveland. and that is always popular"